Madonna and Ritchie to divorce on Friday

LONDON (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie are to divorce in London on Friday, according to the High Court where so-called "quickie" divorces are formalized.

The case was listed on Thursday under the names Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S and will be heard before a judge in the High Court's Family Division.

Both are entitled to attend the court, although in most high-profile celebrity cases people choose not to.

The couple announced last month that they had agreed to finish their eight-year-old marriage, ending intense speculation over the relationship.

Details of the terms of the split have not been made public.

Madonna, 50, and Ritchie, 40, have a joint fortune estimated to be worth around $525 million.

The couple have a son, Rocco, who was several months old on their wedding day in December 2000, and in 2006 Madonna applied to adopt David Banda, a boy from Malawi whose mother died shortly after his birth and whose biological father has supported the adoption.